Learning to Read and Write in Chinese

Learn pinyin. Pinyin is a Chinese writing system which uses letters from the Roman alphabet instead of
Chinese characters.

It is useful for Chinese language learners as it allows you to get started with reading and writing Chinese
without the time involved in learning traditional characters. There are many Chinese textbooks and
learning materials available in Pinyin.

However, it is important to be aware that even though Pinyin uses letters from the Roman alphabet, its
pronunciation is not always intuitive to the English speaker. Therefore, it is important to use a proper
pronunciation guide when learning Pinyin.

Learn to read some Chinese characters. Although the ability to read traditional Chinese characters is not
necessary for learning Chinese, the idea appeals to many people and makes them feel more in touch
with traditional Chinese culture.

Learning to recognize and read Chinese characters is no easy task. In order to read a newspaper, the
average Chinese reader will need to be familiar with about 2000 different characters -- and that's just
the beginning. It is believed that there are over 50,000 Chinese characters in total (though many of them
are no longer in use).

The major benefit of learning to read Chinese characters is that you will have access to a broad array of
other literatures, including Cantonese, Japanese and Korean -- all of which use Chinese characters (or a
simplified version of them) in their writings, despite the fact that the spoken languages are very
different.

Learn to write some Chinese characters. Once you have learned to read Chinese characters, you may be
interested in learning how to form them yourself. Writing Chinese characters is a complex skill, which
requires patience and a touch of artistry.

The first step in learning how to write Chinese characters is to learn the "radicals" -- these are the
individual brush strokes that form the building blocks of each character. There are 214 radicals in total --
some can stand on their own as individual characters, while others are only used as part of a more
complex character.
When writing Chinese characters, the order of the brush strokes is very important and you must follow a
specific set of rules -- such as top to bottom, left to right and horizontal before vertical. If the stroke
order is incorrect, the completed character will not be accurate.

Read Chinese texts. If you want to improve your Chinese reading skills, you'll need to practice a little
reading for at least 15 to 20 minutes a day.

To begin with, you could try using some children's readers or workbooks (which are nearly always
written in Pinyin) to practice your basic reading skills. You should also be able to find some good
resources for reading Chinese online.

You can also try to incorporate your Chinese learning into your everyday life. You can do this by reading
the Chinese labels on food products at the Asian supermarket, or asking your server for the Chinese
language menu at a restaurant.

Once your reading becomes more advanced, you could try to get your hands on a Chinese newspaper
(which are printed using traditional Chinese characters) and do your best to read through the articles.
This is also a good way of familiarizing yourself with Chinese culture and current affairs.

Write a little Chinese everyday. In order to practice your Chinese writing skills, you should try to write a
little everyday, whether in Pinyin or in Chinese characters.

One option is to keep a small personal diary in Chinese, where you write down simple things like a
description of the weather, how you are feeling that day, or what you did. If you're not to shy about it,
you could ask a Chinese-speaking friend or acquaintance to look it over and check for any mistakes.

Alternatively, you could try to find a Chinese pen-pal to write letters to. This could be mutually
beneficial, as you could get some practice writing in Chinese, while your pen-pal could practice their
English. You could also ask your pen-pal to include the corrected version of your original letter when
replying.

A last way of practicing your writing is to make simple lists in Chinese, like your shopping list, or to make
Chinese labels for items around the house.
Immersing Yourself in the Chinese Language
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Practice with a native Chinese speaker. The absolute best way to learn Chinese is just to speak it with a
native speaker -- this will force you to think on your feet, help with your accent and expose you to more
informal or colloquial forms of speech that you won't find in a textbook.

If you have a Chinese-speaking friend, ask them if they'd be willing to sit down with you for an hour or
two each week. They'd probably be happy to help -- as long as the coffee's on you!

If you don't know any Chinese speakers personally, you could try placing an ad in your local paper or
online forum. Alternatively, you could look into finding a Chinese conversation group or oral Chinese
class in your local area.

If all else fails, you could try to connect with a Chinese speaker on Skype, one who'd be willing to
exchange 30 minutes of Chinese conversation for 30 minutes of English.

Listen to Chinese tapes/CDs. Listening to Chinese podcasts or CDs is a great way to immerse yourself in
the language -- even when you're on the go!

It doesn't matter if you can't follow everything that's being said -- just try to be an active listener and
attempt to pick out key words and phrases. Slowly but surely your overall comprehension will improve.

This is a great option for people who have long commutes as they can simply stick a Chinese CD on in
the car or listen to a Chinese podcast on the train. You could also try listening while exercising or doing
housework.

Watch Chinese films and cartoons. Watching Chinese films and cartoons is a more fun, relaxed way of
immersing yourself in the language, however, it will still help to expose you to the sounds and structure
of Chinese.

Try watching short cartoons or clips on YouTube, or rent a full length Chinese film from your local movie
store. You may need to use subtitles at first, but try not to rely on them too much -- see how much of
the dialogue you can understand on your own.

If you're feeling particularly proactive, you could pause the film after particular words or phrases and try
to repeat them -- this will help your accent to sound more authentic.
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Don't be afraid of making mistakes. The biggest obstacle that will stand in your way of learning Chinese
is your fear of making mistakes.

You need to try to overcome this fear -- and even embrace it -- if you are to reach your goal of fluency.

Remember that everyone makes mistakes when they are learning a new language, and you are bound to
have your fair share of embarrassing mistakes and awkward moments, but this is all part of the process.

Remember that you are not aiming for perfection when you are learning Chinese, you are aiming for
progress. So go ahead and make as many mistakes as you like -- as long as you learn from them and
continue to improve.

Consider taking a trip to China. Can you think of a better way to immerse yourself in the Chinese
language than a trip to its native land?

China is an amazingly diverse country -- from the busy, bustling streets of Beijing to the ancient majesty
of the Great Wall. There is something for every traveler -- whether you're looking to immerse yourself in
traditional ethnic cultures, to sample the many delicious Chinese delicacies or to travel to the sites of
ancient ruins and epic battles.

Alternatively, you could take a tour of other places with large Chinese-speaking populations, like Taiwan,
Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. Just make sure that you are prepared for differences in dialect
(not all are mutually intelligible) before you book your flight!
Guided Instruction
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Get audio learning software. After learning the basics, it's time to get some outside instruction so you
can improve your skills. If you are learning Japanese for fun because you like Japanese culture such as
manga and anime or for travel, an audio learning CD might be all you need. Just spending an hour a day
can build up grammar usage and teach you simple stock phrases and useful vocabulary.

Listen to the software during your commute to work or have it ready on your portable music player for
lunch and breaks or walks in the park.

It isn't necessary to learn the reading and writing to enjoy the language and culture, so if you plan on
taking a short trip to Japan, knowing a few useful phrases will be more practical than cramming obscure
characters into your brain.

Sign up for classes. If you are learning for business or you want to live in Japan, consider enrolling in a
college level course, an intensive language program, or online classes. Learning to read and write will be
crucial to your long term success, and having a mentor during the early stages is ideal for developing
good study habits and asking all the questions you will have about Japanese language and culture.

Study the writing systems. Begin studying all four writing styles early on if literacy is important for your
purpose of learning the language. Hiragana and katakana can be learned in a few weeks, and you can
use them to write anything you want in Japanese. Around 2,000 kanji are currently in common use in
Japanese, so it typically takes several years to learn, but it's worth it if you want to actually be able to
understand and speak Japanese.

Use flashcards to learn vocabulary and simple phrases. They can be used while waiting for a meeting, on
a train, and so on. Some free cards can be found on the web to get you started, or you can buy higher
quality cards at most college bookstores or online.

To practice kanji, look for cards that show stroke order (how to write the character) represented in
calligraphy on one side and have example compound words on the other side. You can pick up a pack of
blank 3x5 cards to make your own flash cards with exactly what you want to learn.

Participate in class discussions and activities. Do all of your homework, raise your hand a lot, and be as
involved as you can to make the most of language classes. If you don't, your skills will not improve.
Immersing Yourself

Join a Japanese language conversation group. Conversation groups abound and are usually easily found
with a simple Internet search or phone call to your local civic center or library. Train your ears to pick out
what is being said. Even if you don't understand it, try to repeat what was said so you can begin to pick it
apart and develop comprehension.

Make Japanese friends with whom you can regularly practice. Lots of Japanese people want to learn
English, so you may be able to find some who are willing to help you in exchange for help in English.
Simply having friends to trade notes with can help everyone improve their abilities.

Do things with your friends that involve language but aren't "study time." If your Japanese friends
haven't lived in your country very long, show them around town. Go sightseeing. Remember, you have
to blow off steam regularly or you'll get stressed out about all those Kanji you have to memorize. Having
fun is the best way to accomplish two goals at the same time.

On the days when you don't have outings, call up a friend every day and have a half-hour conversation
during which you speak only Japanese. The more practice you get, the faster you will improve.
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Consume Japanese media. Whether it's the newspaper, a novel, a movie, or a show, read or watch
Japanese language media every day. There is lots of TV content on the internet, from comedy to game
shows to drama. Find something which fits your interests and learning will be much easier. Japanese
newspapers will expose you to the most practical vocabulary and grammar. As you improve, read
novels, which will give you a warmer style of writing. Mix things up by watching classic Japanese films
and anime without subtitles, or with Japanese character subtitles.

Comic books (Manga) can make good reading material, but be aware that the level of sophistication
varies greatly. A more mature, literary comic might be good practice (especially since the illustrations
help you understand what you are reading), something intended for smaller children is likely to be full of
sound effects and slang. Be careful about repeating what you've read in a comic book.

Study in Japan. This is simply the best way to practically apply what you have learned and learn more.
It's a very exciting and unpredictable experience to immerse yourself in another culture, even for a short
period. Even if you have researched exhaustively, actually experiencing a place will expose you to things
you could never have imagined.

If you're enrolled in a college or university, ask about programs to study in Japan. This is one of the best
ways to gain long-term exposure to Japanese language, and you may be eligible for financial aid.

Don't be discouraged if you do not understand everything that is said to you or you can't read or write
as well as you expected. It takes many years to become fluent in another language. The intricacies and
nuances of the Japanese language make it difficult to master, but they are also part of its beauty.